A University Development Center (UDC) is an educational-work co-operational program that was founded by

Smiths Aerospace GE Aviation Systems (formerly Smiths Aerospace) is an American aerospace engineering, aircraft engine and aircraft parts manufacturer. Smiths Aerospace was formerly one of four business units of Smiths Group plc., an engineering company and con ...

in 2005, which was acquired in 2007 by

GE Aviation GE Aviation, a subsidiary of General Electric, is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio, outside Cincinnati. GE Aviation is among the top aircraft engine suppliers, and offers engines for the majority of commercial aircraft. GE Aviation is part of t ...

, in

Houghton, Michigan Houghton (; ) is the largest city and seat of government of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Houghton is the largest city in the Copper Country region. It is the fifth-largest city in the U ...

. The program employs students from the local

Michigan Technological University Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula of Michiga ...

to work on programs that the company is currently working. This provides real world work experience for future engineers as well as provide cost effective

outsourcing Outsourcing is an agreement in which one company hires another company to be responsible for a planned or existing activity which otherwise is or could be carried out internally, i.e. in-house, and sometimes involves transferring employees and ...

for GE Aviation in the United States. In 2007, the Houghton UDC moved to the once condemned Houghton Power House located near the Houghton/Hancock Lift Bridge. The project was an ambitious one on part of both GE and MTEC SmartZone, with the support of the Michigan Economic Development Corp in excess of 1 million dollars. Currently one other UDC program has been founded by GE Aviation: Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas

References

{{reflist 2005 establishments in Michigan Student organizations in the United States Organizations established in 2005